Thoughts From Mongolia IV

Ulaanbaatar (UB) is the capital city in which approximately 40 percent of the country’s 2.6 million people reside. It is a very big city with severe traffic and air pollution problems. There are neither sufficient street signs nor signal lights and driving is an exercise in aggression. If you are not properly aggressive you wait, wait and wait some more in traffic. I thought that when I spent time working in Israel those drivers were aggressive but the Mongolians lead the pack. Crossing the street is an opportunity for prayer.

The air pollution in the city is terrible and getting worse. Driving from the airport into the city when I first arrived last week I saw a large coal burning power plant bellowing smoke. There are a total of three old coal powered plants within the city limits. Many of the cars are at least 7-10 years old and have no anti-pollution devices. The gas, imported from Russia, has high lead content. According to the United Nations Millennium Report for Mongolia the air pollution in Ulaanbaatar has reached levels potentially dangerous for the genetic pool of the population. Apparently the pollution is worse during the winter because the city sits in a bowl and the air inversions capture the toxic air. A lot of people have coughs and asthma is prevalent.

Physically the city has stores and shops everywhere with two or three karaoke bars and nightclubs on a typical block. The downtown area is dotted with HUGE government and private buildings that date back to the Soviet occupation from 1920 to 1990. The size of these buildings is imposing and many have large plazas in front of them. The city seems to have an extensive and thriving cultural community with many museums, opera houses, theaters and art galleries. This is a throwback to the old Soviet times where the government heavily supported the arts and culture; the Mongolian government continues to do so. There is even a government-owned circus.

Outside of the immediate downtown area are large complexes of Cold War era Soviet-style apartment buildings arranged in blocks. This is where I am staying and this is where the majority of the residents call home. Most of these complexes are painted light blue or green and are about 10-15 stories high. If you drive outside of these areas, but remain within the city limits, you see the ger communities surrounding the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar. The ger, a one-room round felt residence is home to about half of all Mongolians throughout the country .

Physically I find the people very attractive and the pace of life very fast. The downtown business folks are extremely formal and well dressed. My host wants me to wear a suit to every appointment as that is what is expected and will lend me more credibility. The younger women are thin, quite beautiful and dress professionally in dark clothes and high black boots. The men are stocky.

Most of the people I have been meeting with who have contact with international people speak some English and usually we can communicate without an interpreter. Students are required to take a language in school and most of them seem to be very fluent in Russian. Any training sessions for people from the countryside require an English interpreter.

The poverty rate in Mongolia is about 34 percent and has been pretty consistent since the democratic reforms took place during the early 90’s. Life seems to be a bit of a struggle, especially viewed from the United States or other developed countries. Even though food is available in the markets I was surprised at the high prices for fruits and vegetables and other things. Most everything except meat has to be imported—mostly from China. The apartments are very spare and the rents could be $300+ per month. Buses and taxis are very inexpensive around town.

The weather during the past week has been remarkably mild. I had brought all of my long underwear and sweaters and had expected to be living in a deep freeze. However, the weather has been generally in the + 10’s to 20’s with the sun shining a lot of the time. With the exception of the first day when we drove into the countryside and it was probably zero degrees, and one day this week when the winds picked up and we had a dust storm, the weather has been milder than I expected. However, it is always a bit cold and when the wind blows like it did yesterday you don’t want to have any exposed skin.

The winters are very long in Mongolia and can start in September and last through the end of May. Historically the temperatures have been 30-40 degrees below zero. However, with global warming, Mongolia has experienced a slight warming trend. This has resulted in less rain, which is obviously not good for the animals and the people living in the countryside who depend on the rivers, lakes, and streams for their livelihood.

We are entering the spring time which runs from the end of March until the end of May. This is the least attractive time for people to visit Mongolia because the winds come up and dust storms are prevalent. The winds cause it to be quite cold and sometimes the dust is so severe that you can’t see 10 feet in front of you. This can cause real damage to livestock outside of the city.

People in Mongolia live for the summer, which is three months only—from June to August. This is holiday season for the country and I understand that Mongolia becomes stunningly beautiful. Plant life that has been dormant for nine months, wakes up and blooms and radiates during this time. The countryside is filled with wildflowers and the entire tourist industry flourishes during these three months of the year.

Let me get back to why I am in Mongolia. During the early part of the week I spent most of my time with environmental organizations that are trying to minimize the impact of the mining industry on the land, rivers, and animals. I spent time meeting with and interviewing leaders of the World Wildlife Federation, the Conservation Society, and the United Nations. I also met with charismatic leaders from the countryside, heads of private foundations, and leaders of other international NGOs. The later part of the week I had an opportunity to meet with some of the leaders in the human rights community, especially women’s groups.

I mentioned in an earlier letter that it appeared democracy was moving in the correct direction and the government was welcoming the impact of the NGOs in the political process of democratization. However, I got a different impression meeting with the women’s leadership. Next week they have invited me to conduct a training session for these NGOs.

The people I have met with were some of the national leaders in the gender and women’s equality movements in the country and they were very critical of the government’s disregard for some of the international conventions on human rights. They were talking about the violence against women in the workplace, in the home, sexual violence, wages, and other issues impacting women. They felt clearly that the government does not take these issues seriously.

On July 1st-3rd, 2008, there were riots in the capital city due to allegations of corruption and voter fraud during the elections. There are two major political parties (and some smaller ones) in Mongolia: the Democratic Party and the Revolutionary Party. The riots made international news including CNN. The police shot and killed four people and hundreds were arrested. About 255 people involved in these incidents were convicted of crimes. The leadership of the impacted groups said that any attempt to criticize the majority party of the government is cause for arrest.

It seems to me that Mongolia is a young country (despite its amazing heritage) which is struggling with how to become a democracy. Mongolia’s police have had little experience with riots. The women’s organizations seem to be very strong and have the ear of the government. They represent the most effective voice and guarantee that certain issues will be surfaced and resolved in a democratic and transparent manner.

It is generally true around the world that the strongest guarantee of a country’s democracy comes from the nonprofit or nongovernmental sector.